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Other dates

Lonsdale Battalion events that took place on 11 February.
For events that took place elsewhere, see our sister project The Great War On This Day

1915 (Thursday)

Events preceding the Lonsdales' arrival in France

• Battalion Orders: "The Officer Commanding is glad to be able to announce that the percentage of Officers, N.C. Officers and men of the Lonsdale Battalion who have been inoculated is today over 95 per cent."
• General Equipment Indent: 70 urine tubs.

1916 (Friday)

• Battalion os relieved by the 17th Highland Light Infantry in the F1 sector near Aveluy; returns to billets in Albert. One Non-commissioned officer is killed during the relief.
• The Workington Star and Harrington Guardian publishes letter written by Private Rowland Cowper on 29 January, 1916:
  “Dear Sir, Having had the pleasure of receiving a parcel of 'Star' cigarettes, tobacco and matches, presumably through the instigation of the 'Wheat Sheaf' and also by the 'Miners Arms' customers. I would be greatly obliged, if, through the medium of your paper, you can find room to thank them on my behalf for their kindness. The smokes were greatly appreciated by some of my comrades and myself, and I can assure you we are truly grateful. I often notice letters in your paper from some of our boys, so I will not weary you any more with our experiences, suffice it to say that with the exception of a few casualties we are all fairly well and cheerful under the circumstances, and going strong although, I daresay, by now we have a somewhat weatherbeaten experience. However, it is the fortune of war, and I hope it will not be long before the terrible conflict is brought to a successful conclusion.”
• The Workington Star and Harrington Guardian publishes letter written by J. Diamond on 30 January, 1916:
  “Dear Sir, I am pleased to say I received your parcel of cigarettes and twist whilst in the trenches last week, and I desire to thank you and your readers for the kindness in sending out to us smokes. I need not tell you how much they are appreciated by all the boys out here. We have had a few more casualties during the past week, so we hope for the best when we go in again.”
• The Workington Star and Harrington Guardian publishes letter written by Private Robert McKegg, which says:
  “Dear Sir, I now take pleasure in writing to thank you and your readers for the parcel of smokes I received quite safe on 23rd January. We are at present in the trenches for seven days, and had quite a rough time of it yesterday. I am sorry to say my best pal was killed, and two others badly wounded by shrapnel, which makes us more determined than ever to retrieve our loss. I divided the Old Toms amongst the boys in our dug-out, and they all send their thanks for the same, which are far superior to the French brands that are sold out here.”

1917 (Sunday)

• Beaumont Hamel: The enemy delivers a counter attack from a north-east direction at 4.30am. Rapid Rifle fire, along with Lewis and Vickers machine gun fire, is brought down on the enemy. The hostile attack wanes and is held up with the exception of the left flank, which under cover of the smoke from the burning dug out, the enemy manages to reach our lines. A fight, mainly with bombs, ensues and the enemy is repulsed.
• The area covered by smoke is swept by rifle and Lewis machine gun fire and barraged by all available rifle grenades. The enemy retires.
• Observation is hampered owing to heavy mist. At daylight a patrol is sent out and finds the enemy still in number on left flank and holding a post with three machine guns. When the mist clears and visibility is good, several of the enemy are shot who are seen retiring up the opposite slopes.
• Remainder of the day is quiet with the exception of hostile sniping and occasional active artillery fire. After darkness falls, two attempts are made to capture the strong hostile post near the left flank. Both attempts are unsuccessful owing to the post being too strongly held.
• 8.30pm: Firm orders are received that the Lonsdales must act in conjunction with the Naval Division on the right in another advance to be made along the 'Puisieux Ridge'. C Company, under Capt. Ross, along with two platoons of D Company are detached. They take up their position on the left of the Naval Division and on the barrage opening up at 9pm, the advance starts. Some 330 yards of ground are taken and a new line of posts are established connecting up with the Naval Division.

Deaths

• Joseph Nixon Brooks (33548 Pte.)
• John Derrick (33349 L/Cpl.)
• William Eland (17580 Cpl.)
• George Edward Little (13760 Pte.)
• Owen McGann (19345)
• William Skinner (13684)
• John Vaughan (27879 Pte.)

1918 (Monday)

• Battalion is situated in the field where companies spend the day working in the reserve area on machine gun emplacements and shelters. Later in the day there are kit inspections.

Notes

References

Acknowledgements

Various sources contemporary to the war have been used to compile The Lonsdale Battalion On This Day. The majority of the events shown on this day (11 February), including any supplementary notes, enlistments and statistical data etc., have been primarily sourced from the Lonsdale Battalion War Diary (November 1915 to June 1918), Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) and abridged material from Timeline and Chronology of the Lonsdale Battalion (September 1914 - May 1915), which are sourced from the original DLONS/L/13/13 Lowther Estate Archives. Events from that chronology are reproduced here with kind permission of Jim Lowther (2016). They are identified and referenced separately by their unique DLONS numbers. Please do not publish these events without prior permission from the Lowther Estate. All casualty names, numbers, ranks, date of deaths and places of burial/commemoration have been sourced from Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-19, Volume 39, The Border Regiment and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database respectively.